-
NEW!
โข Patience Cranberries (Quebec) 12/12oz
โข Bulgarian Hot Peppers (more under hot peppers)
โข Buck Satsumas (Central Valley)
โข Mushroom King Sliced Shiitake
โข Buddha Hand
โข Limequat
โข Fairchild Mandarins -
COMING SOON
โข Crespo Dried Mangos
โข Bagged Cuties first week of December -
BACK IN STOCK
โข Artichokes
โข Ralphโs Leeks -
TIGHT INVENTORY
โข Fingerling Potatoes
โข California Strawberries
โข Baby Bok Choy
โข Baby Sweet Broccoli
โข Broccoli Crowns
โข Lettuce (read more under the Market Update)
โข Crimini Mushrooms
โข Orange and Red Bells -
GAPPING
โข Pea Shoots and Sunflower Sprouts may gap until after the holiday
โข Will see some gaps on Strawberries until Mexico starts up in a few weeks. -
WINDING DOWN
โข Hachiya Persimmons
-
finished
โข Cal-O Fingerlings
โข Sunrise Fingerlings
โข New Zealand Gold Kiwis
โข Tutti Frutti Heirloom Tomatoes
BUYERโS NOTES
Updated November 20, 2022
FRUIT
Happy Thanksgiving Week! We had a week of dry weather last week and no weather-related trucking issues out of the PNW. The Club Apple Class is robust with Ambrosia, Autumn Glory, Envy, Jazz, Opal and SugarBee. Download the Club Apple Variety guide. Satsumas have dried out on the trees and Side Hill was back picking for some of the tastiest fruit to start off the citrus season. Buck and Fruit World are both harvesting Satsumas out of the Central Valley. Pomegranate Arils take away the difficult labor and at a special price this week. Wonderful with roasted squash, sweet potatoes or tossed in a spinach salad.
JAS Family Farms is in a flush of Artichokes out of Watsonville. Promotional opportunities abound. Ask your Sales Rep for more information. Criminis are very tight, as predicted, as we head into the holiday week.
Add Wild Mushrooms to stuffing or sautรฉ for a side dish. Think meaty Oysters, Shiitake and Trumpet or the wonderfully adaptable Maitake. Download Earlโs fresh and dried mushroom guides.
Lettuce continues to be tight as the prices are at a record high. Cal-O is harvesting limited Iceberg, Red Leaf and Romaine. Lettuce will be high into December and we wonโt see any real relief on pricing until January. Josieโs Romaine Hearts done out of Watsonville and now moving down to the desert. Great substitute options include Peteโs Living Butter Lettuce, Butter Lettuce, Speckled Romaine, organicgirl Salad Mixes and Loose Spring Mix.
Earlโs Pre-cut Program is here for all of your holiday needs! Pre-order with a 2-day lead time and make your holiday season a little easier. Ask your Earlโs Sales Rep for more information. Download the Monday order form for Wednesday here. This will be the last day for pre-cut delivery before Thanksgiving.
Pomegranate Arils save you time!
Side Hill Citrus Satsumas
Chestnuts
APPLES
Robust on all apple categories! Donโt miss California Cuyama Heirloom Apples: Arkansas Black, Crimson Gold, Lady Apples.
AVOCADOS
Steady market out of Mexico.
BANANAS
The dry season in Mexico means you wonโt be seeing paraffin wraps on the crowns (used to prevent crown rot) but we will continue to see the wrap on fruit from Ecuador.
BERRIES
Blackberries: GreenBelle (MX) with a sprinkle of Tomatero California fruit.
Blueberries: Pints looking good out of Peru.
Strawberries: Prices are sky high and cold weather is shutting down Oxnard and Santa Maria. Production is done out of Watsonville. Will see gaps over the next two weeks before Mexico starts up in December.
Raspberries: Consistent with Fresh Kampo (Mexico) through the winter.
Happy Thanksgiving!
citrus
Grapefruit: Star Ruby has beautiful color and flavor.
Valencias hanging on as the season comes to an end.
Satsuma production starting up slowly from Side Hill. Buck and Fruit World (Central Valley) will help with volume with good flavor and acidity.
California Lemons are solid.
Marsalisi Meyer Lemons for another month. Side Hill Meyers starting up with Meyers out of the Sacramento Foothills.
Fukumoto Navels out of Southern California have the daytime heat to develop the sugars and colder nights to bring out the orange color.
New from Buck: Limequat - this cross between a key lime and kumquat has a sweet-tasting skin and bittersweet pulp with a flavor similar to limes. Eat them whole like a kumquat or use the skins to flavor desserts and drinks. The Fairchild Mandarin is a cross between a Clementine and an Orlando tangerine. It has a rich and juicy sweet flavor and has seeds.
fall
It is time to roast sweet and meaty Chestnuts!
It is time to roast sweet and meaty Chestnuts! Tips on roasting chestnuts: Cut an "X" shape into the flat side of each chestnut. Use a sharp knife to do this. This will make the chestnuts roast faster, allowing the steam to escape from the chestnuts. Place them on a baking sheet with the cut side up. Roast 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, keeping an eye on them so they donโt burn. Let them cool slightly before easily removing the shell.
grapes
No inclement weather means outstanding quality on Red, Black and Green Seedless Grapes.
kiwi
New Zealand Gold Kiwis are done. Homegrown California Mammoth Kiwis have started up out of Porterville. Available in 20/1# (3-4 kiwis per clamshell) and Volume Fill. An eye-catching piece of fruit perfect to highlight next to your bulk display. Meet the Mammoth Kiwi growers in the field.
melons
Cantaloupe (MX) pricing is coming down. Mini Seedless Watermelons are steady. Honeydew may gap.
nuts
Donโt miss our nut category with Bulk Almonds, Bulk Halves/Pieces and Whole Walnuts and Bagged Pistachios in Shell. NEW! Chestnuts arrive just in time to kick off the week. Sweet and meaty, chestnuts are a fall favorite. Easy tips for cooking and eating chestnuts in our Vegucation.
pears
We have an array of wonderful varieties to try. Out of the Pacific Northwest look to Bartlett, Comice, Concorde, DโAnjou, Golden Bosc, and Red DโAnjou. Asian Pears are crisp like an apple and juicy like a pear.
raisins
Did you know that Dried Black Raisins are the largest and plumpest raisins? Fantastic for snacking as well as baking. Red, Black and Green Raisin Canisters from Sunview are delicious and available in 12/15oz cans. Vacuum-packed canisters offer a long shelf life.
tropicals
Yellow Ecuadorian Dragon Fruit is very flavorful. Tommy Aktins (Ecuador) is slow to start. We are keeping an eye on Formosa and Intennza Papayas quality and inventory tight. Covilli Pineapples are sporadic. Solid inventory on Dole Fair Trade Pineapples.
VEGETABLES
Tasteful Selection Purple Passion Potatoes
JAS Green Artichoke
Shiitake are an excellent substitute for Crimini Mushrooms
asparagus
Asparagus from Mexico is ramping up, and supplies should be increasing over the next month, offering promotional opportunities moving into the Thanksgiving holiday and into Christmas.
artichokes
JAS Family Farms is in a flush of Purple (returning Tuesday) and Green Artichokes out of Watsonville. Promotional opportunities abound. Ask your Sales Rep for more information.
baby bok choy
The fields are drying out and Annaโs is back with beautiful Baby Bok Choy.
bunched beets
Cal-O Bunched Gold and Red with seasonally appropriate quality and prices. Transitioning to Tomatero Bunched Red Beets after Thanksgiving.
baby bok choy
Annaโs delayed getting into the field due to the rain. Small amount from Lakeside and prices are up.
varietal beans
Covilli Green Beans Bulk Beans in 15# and 25# for the holidays. Look to Josieโs for your Bagged Green Bean options.
broccoli
All California Broccoli experiencing seasonal quality issues from pin rot to discoloration. Prices are climbing.
sweet baby broccoli
Lakeside prices continue to jump on all commodities as they head into the end of the Watsonville season and Thanksgiving is fast approaching.
broccoli crowns
Not sizing up in the field along with some pin rot is limiting production.
brussels sprouts
Good volume on bulk for Thanksgiving. We may see some bagged.
cabbage
Red and Green Napa Cabbage from Annaโs is in excellent production and a superb opportunity to promote beautiful winter veg at a great price. Tomatero Savoy is back!
carrots
Cal-O is now starting out of the desert (Lamont/Bakersfield) and availability is improving as we get later into November. Rainbow Bunched Carrots from Sunrise are limited. Sunrise Nantes have amazing quality with a sweet, crunchy flavor.
cauliflower
Prices are very high with tight inventory until the desert starts up in December with better quality and supply.
romanesco
Cold in Watsonville has slowed down sizing on Lakeside and Tomatero. We may see some from Sun Valley.
celery
In great shape on 24ct and 30ct. Juice celery is tight.
cucumbers
Divine Fair Trade Cucumbers gapping for another week. Persians and Euros looking good. Bulk Persians and Clamshells good inventory. Limited bagged.
eggplant
Graffiti is back to join Globe Eggplant.
fennel
Nice flush on Fennel from Josieโs and Tomatero. Cross merchandise fennel next to the ingredients for a classic herb stuffing recipe. Shave Fennel for an apple walnut or grapefruit salad. Fennel also pairs well with beets, brussels sprouts, green beans, mushrooms and potatoes.
greens
Cool weather brings out the vibrant colors on Green, Rainbow and Red Chards.
herbs
Only a few days left until Thanksgiving. Get your orders in early in the day. Holiday Shippers are available to display your Holiday and Turkey Blend Mixes.
lettuce
Lettuce continues to be tight as the prices are at a record high. Cal-O is harvesting limited Iceberg Red Leaf and Romaine. Lettuce will be high into December. We wonโt see any real relief on pricing until January. Josieโs Romaine Hearts are done out of Watsonville and now moving down to the desert. Josieโs Salad Kits are tight with prorates each week due to leaf lettuce being tight. Organicgirl 16oz Spinach are tight due to cooler weather.
leeks
Ralphโs ground froze last week (Mt. Vernon, Washington). Inventory should look better this week.
mushrooms
Criminis have been tight and will continue to be up to Thanksgiving. Better availability on White Mushrooms, Shiitake, Portabellas, Maitake and Oysters. Download Earlโs Mushroom guide.
NEW! Mushroom King Sliced Shiitake.
bell peppers
Last shot on choice Red Bells from Origin O. Red Bells (choice and #1) are hard to find. We will see some from Organic Republic (Mexico) Choice Orange is plentiful and a great substitute. Plenty of US and Mexico Green Bells. Sunrise Shishito are limited. Padrons continue to be hard to find. Plenty of Hot Peppers out of Mexico.
hot peppers
Sunrise Habanda is back, all the wonderful flavor of a Habanero without the heat. Bulgarian Carrot hot peppers (Sunrise) are sweet, fruit, and crisp with a heat level equal to 12x hotter than a Jalapeno.
onions
Green Onion pricing holding with good supply from Cal-O. Peri and Sons Earth Bags are convenient and offer a sustainable and eye-catching option.
potatoes
Incredible quality on all Russet, Gold and Reds. Good supply on Tasteful Selection Potatoes. Purple Passion Bagged are stunning.
radishes
Annaโs gapping for a week on red. No Breakfast Radish available. Tomatero is back with bulk 10# Red Radish at a great value! Annaโs Watermelon Radish will continue through the winter, as well as Tomatero.
roots
We will see some Celery Root with greens from Coke. All other growers are done for now.
sprouts
Pea Shoots and Sunflower Sprouts may gap until after the holiday.
summer squash
California is done. Covilli flush with plenty of Zucchini through Thanksgiving.
tomatoes
Mixed Heirlooms have been tight now that Tutti Frutti is done. Covilli is back this week. Plenty of Romas from multiple labels. Cherry Tomatoes are pretty tight. We will see a few varietals.
winter squash
Durst Sugar Pies are wrapping up and will be done in the next few weeks. Dwelley is done with Delicata. Look to Covilli Fair Trade Delicata. Plenty of all other varieties: Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Black Futsu, Honeynut (the think skin is edible), Spaghetti, Sweet Dumpling and Tetsukabuto.
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